


There's a Thin Line Between Dying and Living

by PastelMess



Category: Twenty One Pilots
Genre: Alternate Universe, Blood, M/M, Vampires, honestly i don't even know what this is, like a lot of blood
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-07-11
Updated: 2015-07-10
Packaged: 2018-04-08 17:52:22
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 9,369
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4314687
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PastelMess/pseuds/PastelMess
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In which Josh is typical vampire aesthetic and Ty Guy is smoll newborn trouble. Aka, I have no idea what I'm doing.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Sing a Chorus

**Author's Note:**

  * For [petzawentz (rainbowsandgucci)](https://archiveofourown.org/users/rainbowsandgucci/gifts).



> My dear friend who loves vampire au's. I don't know what this is.

Tyler was a man of exciting adventure.

He always had been, ever since he was little. He'd climb trees so high until branches were cracking under his feet, he'd ride his bike into the pool, scale a nearby bluff with every possibility of falling, climb the bleachers, jump off the roof of his home, push past eighty on a forty-five miles per hour road. The danger and excitement filled his veins with slick adrenaline and made him feel like a daredevil. Trying new things brought him happiness. He smoked weed in a high school bathroom, drank until he puked at parties, made out with the hottest girl in school and snuck into a bar with some teammates from his basketball team.

In fact, there wasn't a lot that Tyler _hadn't_ done. He was constantly seeking out a thrill, something to put him on edge, a "will I get caught this time?" kind of feel. Tyler could always get away with it too, and he wasn't sure how. Of course, there were times where he almost had gotten caught, and that had made him want to try more.

It wasn't until his mother found him in his bedroom naked sucking face with someone Tyler had introduced to her as a "close friend" did Tyler's days of constant thrills come to an end. She screamed at him for an hour about how he was too young and confused. "Boys just don't make out with boys," she said with frustration as Tyler twisted his fingers together and stared at a weird stain on the bottom half of his wall. What was that? Coffee? Tea? Soda? Something else?

So now Tyler was stuck at his grandfather's farm in the middle of Nowhere, Kansas staring at nothing but rolling fields of vegetables his grandpa had named but he hadn't shown interest in listening. There was nothing to do at this place. No woods, no cell service, no wifi, no internet, and most importantly, no thrills, no danger, and no excitement. Tyler thought he was going to die.

He had to wake up at 5 am every morning to help his grandfather feed the animals and attend the fields and bale the hay. Sometimes he had to do handy work and fix things in the barn or paint the chipping surface of the fence. He always had dirt under his fingernails and no matter how many showers he took Tyler always felt dirty. He hated this place.

One Sunday morning Tyler woke up at 5. He didn't have to - Sunday's were a day of rest and worship. It was the only day Tyler got to sleep in, but not really because church started at 9 and his grandfather made him get up at 7:30. Tyler hated church almost as much as he hated this good for nothing boring farm with its never ending rolling hills. He hated sitting in the pews listening to the priest drone on for hours about stuff Tyler frankly didn't care about.

He dressed quickly and fished out a notebook and pen from under his mattress. Then he was quietly making his way through the creaking old house and pushing open the back door. The sun was just starting to rise, creating a massive swirl of pinks and purples and oranges. It was quite beautiful.

Tyler put one end of the pen between his teeth as he flipped open his notebook and stared between the fresh lined pages and the masterpiece of the morning sunrise. Then he was scrawling quickly and messy, not bothering to check his spelling or grammar as the words traveled from his brain to the tip of his pen. Tyler wouldn't call himself a poetic guy necessarily, but when he had words he wanted to get them on paper. It was a good coping method he thought.

After he finished, the cap went back on the pen and the notebook was tucked under his arm. He pushed open the barn doors quietly and climbed the ladder to the loft. He came here sometimes; it was a good place for him to get away from everything and be lost in his daydreams. His daydreams were where he dreamed of danger and adventure and where he was far far far away from this place.

Pen and notebook abandoned on the floor, he pushed open the shutters on the window to let in some light when a small hissing noise came from behind him. Tyler froze, his breath caught in his throat as he tried to debate whether that had been his imagination or something was really up here with him.

After about ten seconds of silence, Tyler decided it had in fact been his imagination and pivoted back around to drop to the floor. There was a lot of junk in the loft - random parts for tractors and stocked up feed for animals and some other stuff Tyler wasn't quite sure what was. He liked the feeling of being crowded though; it gave him some closure of home.

He pulled his notebook into his lap and flipped it open, wetting one finger to pull apart the sticking pages as he flipped through. Today Tyler's main focus was going back over what he had scribbled and trying to decipher it to create something new. A poem, a song, a story, anything. But as the time clicked by, Tyler felt uneasy. Like someone was watching him.

The hair on the back of his neck was rising and countless times he found himself forgetting to breath. Tyler wasn't sure why he felt so scared. He had been up here alone many times before. Why now?

"Hello?" He called out, not really sure why. His voice echoed and there was no answer, which made Tyler feel a little bit better about his current situation.

But then there was a shuffle and a small gasp of pain and Tyler felt his blood coil with fear in his veins. His brow furrowed as he tensed up and fumbled to stand.

Then there was a pair of ruby red eyes staring at him from behind what seemed to be part of a old broken dresser. Tyler stared back, his own eyes wide. Finally, something that screamed danger.

He cleared his throat. "Uhm, hi." Tyler waved, his weight shuffling from one foot to another. He had never seen someone with red eyes. He wondered if they were contacts. Then again, where had this person come from? This farm was in the middle of nowhere. Was he an escaped convict? A runaway? A murderer? Either way, Tyler couldn't deny that pit of excitement that was now bubbling in his stomach.

The person didn't say anything. They just took two steps to the side to reveal their entire appearance and stared at their scuffed converse. Tyler sucked in a breath.

It was a guy, probably around his age. He was a little bit shorter than Tyler, with flame red hair to match his eyes. He had a silver nose ring that fit in perfectly with his silvery pale almost elf like skin. He was lanky, with not much muscle anywhere on his body. It was almost like he was made of porcelain; the lines of his bones jutted and protruded perfectly in every way, cheekbones prominent and hip bones sculpted like marble. There wasn't a single flaw on his face. He felt he might break the guy simply by touching him. Tyler couldn't deny the guy was beautiful, in a scary kind of way. His clothes were covered in dirt and blood and Tyler noticed he was trying to avoid the stream of sunlight coming in through the window.

"You want me to close that?" Tyler asked cautiously with a tilt of his head. The guy nodded, still refusing to look Tyler in the eye. He was sucking on his lip and looked afraid and worried. With one stride Tyler was slamming the shutters shut and the room was falling back into hazy darkness. It wasn't too dark, Tyler could still see, but it gave the room a more eerie feel because this guy could still possibly be a serial killer.

They stood in awkward silence, Tyler staring intriguingly as the guy twisted the toe of his shoe into the wood like it was the most interesting thing in the world. And sure, maybe at some point the wood used as the flooring had been a beautiful giant tree with twisting branches and healthy green leaves, but now it was stretching floor planks that were probably going to start rotting soon.

Tyler pulled at the collar of his T-shirt to try and get some air. It was starting to get stuffy. "Uh, are you, uhm, lost?" It was stupid, really. Of course he wasn't lost, nobody just wandered into a barn loft.

The redhead shook his head and raised his long fingers to scratch delicately behind his ear. It should have been awkward, but him doing it made it look like the most graceful thing in the world. Tyler actually felt compelled to clap.

"Can you speak?" Tyler immediately regretted his choice of words when he looked up with a growl, anger dancing across his eyes. Tyler gulped and pulled at his collar again.

"Of course I can speak," he replied, and Tyler stared, mesmerised. His voice was liquid chocolate, warm and rich with silver bells the colour of his skin all tied into one. Tyler wanted him to speak again.

"Uh, sorry. That was a dumb question." Tyler wetted his lips before letting his teeth run over his lower lip. "I'm Tyler. I don't live here, but my parents sent me here to help out. It's stupid. They're both mad at me for wanting adventure."

"Joshua." He stated firmly, eyes not once faltering from their intense staring contest. Tyler found himself at a loss of words as he repeated his name over and over in his head. _Joshua._

_Joshua Joshua Joshua._

"So uh, what are you doing here?" Joshua's fixation on Tyler was starting to make him uncomfortable. He kind of wanted to ask Josh about his eyes, but then again that might be rude. But what he just said could also be rude. Tyler tripped over his words as he tried to apologize. "Sorry, uhm, I'm sorry, that came out rude. It's okay you're here, but I was just curious how you ended up in the loft of a barn in nowhere, Kansas. I mean, like, how old are you? You don't look that old. So you can't be an escaped convict can you? It's okay if you are, I'm not going to tell anyone. I promise. I -"

He threw out a hand to stop Tyler from talking and Tyler immediately bit his tongue. He felt like an idiot. Tyler always rambled when he got nervous. It was a bad trait of his.

"Sorry for intruding, I just needed a place to stay for when the sun came up." Joshua gestured to the closed window. "I didn't expect anyone to be here. I wasn't planning on being here myself. I'm uh, traveling."

Tyler swallowed and rubbed his neck awkwardly. He could feel sweat starting to slick right below his hairline. "Do you get sunburned easily?"

_Stupid. Stupid, stupid, stupid._

He chuckled softly, and it sounded like a beautiful winter storm, one that coated everything in a glistening sheet of ice. Tyler clamped his mouth shut in case he started drooling. "You could say that." Josh finally looked away from Tyler and allowed his eyes to examine the rest of the barn. He seemed fascinated. "I'm not an escaped convict, to answer your question. And I'm 18."

Tyler seemed to light up then. "I'm 18 too! But you're probably older than me. My birthday is in December. Most people are older than me. You're the first person my age I've seen in months. I've been stuck on this godforsaken farm and I don't know when I'll get to go back to Ohio. Not that I love Ohio. No, that place sucks. It's always dark and dreary. But at least it's not Kansas. This place is awful."

Josh wrinkled his nose in displeasure and dropped to the floor, his long fingers interlocking as he wrapped them around his knees. "You talk too much."

Tyler blushed and ducked his head. He knew he was, he knew it, but Tyler couldn't help it. He was nervous. "Sorry Josh, I talk when I'm nervous. You kinda came from nowhere."

Josh looked confused. He cocked his head as his brow furrowed. "Josh?"

"Uh, yeah. Josh. It's a nickname for Joshua usually. Don't tell me you've never heard of that?"

"I can't say I have. Everyone calls me Joshua."

"Oh." Tyler paused to look at Josh through his eyelashes. "Sorry."

"I kind of like it. Josh." It sounded thick and foreign on his tongue, like he was trying it out for the first time. Tyler thought that was weird. What kind of a person had never heard the nickname for his own name?

"I think it suits you." Tyler finally looked up to face him, only too see he was back staring at Tyler like he was on display. Tyler swallowed uncomfortably.

"You don't have to be nervous. I won't hurt you."

"I'm not, uh, well, I am nervous. But not because I think you'll hurt me."

"Will you say my name again?"

Tyler raised an eyebrow. "Joshua?"

"No, the other one."

"Your nickname?"

"Yes." Josh closed his eyes and pressed his lips in a thin line as Tyler said his name with confusion. This wasn't the excitement he thought he'd be getting.

"Your voice is very pleasant Tyler. It's unique. Not quite feminine, but not quite masculine. It's the perfect amount of in between."

"Oh," whispered Tyler, because he wasn't quite sure how to answer that. It was a compliment after all, but a strange one. He decided to change the subject. "You're lucky your parents let you dye your hair. My parents won't let me do anything. I like the nose ring too. And the whole goth look you have going on. It's cool."

Josh opened his eyes and leaned forward, back to staring at Tyler in fascination. Tyler could feel himself turning pink under his stare. "My parents are dead."

"Oh, uh, I'm sorry." He blinked, a million curse words running through his head. Why did he have to make everything worse?

"They've been dead since 1890. It's okay."

Tyler paused, because he didn't think he had heard him right. 1890? That couldn't be right. Josh was 18, how could he... No. Maybe 1990. That made more sense.

"Josh? Uhm, what, uh..." He couldn't string the proper words together to form a coherent sentence so instead he sat dumbfounded as Josh continued to terrorise him with his eyes. A hint of a smile rose to Josh's lips.

"I forgot how peculiar humans were. Haven't been one myself in a long time." Josh wiggled his eyebrows before pushing himself up from the ground. Tyler watched carefully as he walked over and dropped next to him. Josh once again pulled his knees up to his chest.

"Humans? You, uh, not..." Tyler felt stupid and he didn't know why he had tried talking. It was ridiculous really.

"I'm not human, no. Thought my eyes would have given that away. Unless you can't see. Can you see?"

Tyler nodded, not wanting to risk the chance of him stumbling over his words like an idiot again. Josh wasn't human. Okay. That was new.

He reached out for one of Tyler's arms, and Tyler flinched when Josh's cold marble like skin touched his. Josh placed one bony finger on the underside of his wrist right over his veins. He sighed loudly.

Tyler didn't know what was going on. If Josh wasn't human, what was he? What was he doing here? What was he doing right now?

"I didn't get a chance to feed," he explained, almost as if he was able to read Tyler's mind. Tyler's eyes widened. "I've been traveling for a while now. I was on my way north where it's cooler and there's more food. But I got caught in the sunlight. Can't travel in daylight. I'll die. But you probably knew that. It's part of the legend after all."

"Legend?" Tyler echoed, but he was starting to catch on. Josh wasn't... No. He couldn't. Those didn't exist.

"Not everything is true. The whole garlic thing is a dud. But blood, that's the good stuff. Thick, heavy stuff. And we don't like light." He sighed again as he pressed another finger to Tyler's wrist. Tyler squirmed under his touch, but Josh was stronger than him. "We are strong. And fast, and intelligent. Way more advanced than humans. We don't do much interacting with humans, besides dinner." Sharp laughter erupted, way different than the previous winter storm. This sounded like a hurricane destroying everything in its path. "You wouldn't mind, would you? I don't need much, just enough to keep me going for today. It's like a blood donation. Is that okay?"

"Uhm, uh, I Uhm..." He has just asked Tyler if he could down some of his blood, and that was scary. This was more adventure than Tyler had been prepared for. Wouldn't that turn Tyler? He didn't know what was true and what wasn't. This was wrong. He didn't like this.

Tyler tried to pull away, but Josh was pushing him down to the floor and straddling him. He grinned viciously. "Come on Tyler, don't be scared. I told you, I'm not going to hurt you." He inhaled sharply through his nose before leaning in close to Tyler's face. He used his lips to trace the outline of Tyler's jaw, breath warm against Tyler's skin. Tyler didn't like this.

Josh's hands moved to pin Tyler's wrists as he inhaled again. "You smell lovely Tyler, just lovely. Every one of us within a ten mile radius would love to have you. And you're beautiful. Oh my god, you're beautiful." He laughed again. "I've been alive a long time Tyler. I've seen a lot of people, I've killed a lot of people, and I've heard a lot of people. I used to be in a clan, but I ran away. And they aren't going to like that one bit." Josh wasn't done speaking. "The guy that turned me has been around a lot longer than me. He knows every nook and cranny of the United States with the back of his hand. He's seen wars, he's seen death, he's killed many more than I have. But he's also possessive. He doesn't like people leaving his command when they aren't allowed. So he's gonna follow my scent. He's going to realize I'm not here, and then he's going to kill you and your grandparents. So here's what we're going to do."

"Oh god, please," Tyler begged, squeezing his eyes shut. He couldn't stand to look at Josh's flawless face with all its traces of heartless killer. Tears were starting to burn at the corner of his eyes, one managing to fall and slid down his cheek. Josh lapped it away with his tongue, causing Tyler to shiver and try to pull away again.

"There's this thing we do, where we kinda see someone and feel a really strong attraction to them. Different than any other attraction. It's like a magnetic force. And Tyler, I really, really want you."

"Please," Tyler tried, more tears falling. "Please, just let me go. I didn't mean to bother you, just please."

"I know living is going to be a hard adjustment, but you'll get used to it soon. Once you're so hungry you feel like dying, killing people won't seem as badly anymore." He flashed a toothy grin, revealing a whole other set of sharp teeth Tyler hadn't realized were there until now. Tyler continued thrashing, trying his hardest to break away from Josh's tight grasp. He was going to die.

"Please Josh, I am begging you."

"You wanted adventure, didn't you Tyler? Think of all the adventure you'll get from this. From me. We can be together forever, just us two, touring the country. We could travel overseas too, it wouldn't be hard."

"My parents Josh, my family, you can't do this!"

"You'll be immortal Tyler, you can do whatever you want. Your family won't be important anymore. They'll get over your disappearance." Josh let out a small mix between a hiss and a growl that sent chills down Tyler's spine all over again. "God, how beautiful you will be when your skin is porcelain smooth and your eyes are crimson red. What's the word modern humanity uses? Hot? You'll be so hot Tyler, so goddamn hot."

"Josh," Tyler breathed, but he knew it was no use. Tyler was going to die, going to die and become this thing.

"Better than be viciously ripped apart by my clan, isn't it?"

"I'm only 18," he was still trying, still pushing, in a mess of tears and snot and hysteria. "I was going to college, I was going to play basketball and find a dime piece wife and play piano and -"

"I was 18 once too Tyler, but unlike you the 1880's wasn't a time of great comfort. Cities were gross and I was dying. This saved my life. So now you'll be with me and we can do all kinds of things together." He pushed his lips into the crook of Tyler's neck, practically moaning at the pulse. He was nervous, terrified, and his heart was beating so fast Josh knew he was going to enjoy this too much.

"Adventure Tyler, adventure." And then he was sinking his teeth into Tyler's neck, blood spurting as it mixed in with sweat and tears. Josh blocked out Tyler's screams and focused on only taking a pint of Tyler's blood, just enough to keep him going, keep him strong, because now Josh was going to have to deal with a newborn and he had a feeling Tyler was going to be a handful. But he was excited, because he has finally found his mate. And although Tyler wasn't going to be happy with it, he would be.

**  
**Josh would make certain of it.


	2. Mon Amour

"Come on Tyler, you have to eat." Josh pushed with a sigh, nudging the dead girl he had killed with the toe of his shoe. Tyler required a lot more blood than he did; unfortunately, he wasn't taking any of it.

 

It had been five months since Josh had turned Tyler. Five months since Tyler had to leave his family behind and let them think he was dead, five months since Tyler had to abandon his ambitions and hopes and dreams, five months struggling to not double over from hunger and deal with the fact that his throat was always burning and his eyes glowed red and his skin was built like marble. Josh was always staring hungrily at him, trailing his fingers across exposed skin, kissing his neck and jaw, whispering how beautiful Tyler was. Tyler would have fought back, pushed Josh away, but he was weak because he wasn't eating. Tyler couldn't kill people, couldn't suck them dry, and even if Josh was the one doing the killing, he still felt bad. These people were like him, they had their own dreams and ambitions like he once had. He couldn't take that away from them.

 

Josh told him newborns struggled, that they needed to get a lot more blood in their systems until they felt drowsy and drunk, but Tyler hadn't even had one single drop. He was supposed to be running and jumping and breaking things, but all Tyler did these days was struggle not to cry.

 

"Don't cry," said Josh, because things got messy. "Bleeding eyes," they called it. And it was gross.

 

Vampires didn't cry. They just didn't.

 

But Tyler hadn't chosen to be like this. He wanted to kill himself every day he lived.

 

Josh was always telling him stories, giving him tips, placing a hand on the small of his back to lead him to safety. Tyler had almost died once already; he had walked straight into a patch of sunlight, and Josh pulled him away as Tyler screamed, because _holy fucking shit_ had that hurt. There was a lot Tyler couldn't do any more, and it drove him crazy.

 

"Not hungry," Tyler murmured, refusing to look at the corpse because if he did he knew his body would react at full force and Tyler just didn't want that. Josh sighed loudly.

 

"For the love of God Tyler, you're going to die soon if you don't eat. You need human blood to survive."

 

"You told me I was immortal," Tyler argued back, his voice full of hate. And it was true, he hated Josh. He hated Josh for doing this to him.

 

"Yeah, well nobody has never not eaten. It's been five months."

 

"I didn't ask to be like this!" Tyler shot back with a growl. He twisted his body to face Josh, silver skin radiating with the moonlight. His lashes were dark, eyes glowing, cheekbones sharp and oracular. Josh was beautiful, Tyler couldn't deny that, but that didn't matter. "You're selfish! You took me for you and didn't think about how it would affect me!"

 

"But I love you Tyler. You're perfect. Don't you understand?" He tilted his head, face masked in confusion as Tyler let out a frustrated sigh. Josh just didn't understand.

 

"I don't like you one bit _Joshua_ ," Tyler sneered his name, like it was one of the worst words you could possibly say. "You ruined my life."

 

"Oh Tyler, you just don't get it." Then suddenly Josh was flipping Tyler against the brick wall of one of the buildings in the alleyway with enough force to probably injure a human, but Tyler wasn't human anymore. Josh kneed him in the gut and used one arm to pin his wrists above his head. Tyler struggled to break free, and he was a lot better at it than he otherwise would have been, but it was the fact that he hadn't ate that ruined it. "If you don't eat, I'm going to make you."

 

"Why won't you just kill me? Please," his voice came out whiny and high pitched as he begged Josh to take his life, just to put him out of his misery. He couldn't stand living like this. It was awful.

 

"Don't be foolish Tyler. Just please, eat." When Tyler shook his head, Josh was shoving him forcefully to his knees. One hand moved to get a good grip in his thick hair and then Tyler was being pushed close to the dead girls neck. He wanted to scream. She smelled so good, like vanilla bean frappuccinos from Starbucks, and Tyler could hear her blood pounding in his ears. He wanted her, _God_ did he want her. He could feel his teeth protruding and Tyler was choking on his own saliva.

 

Josh was muttering to himself, simple crazy talk that made Tyler want to throw himself into the ocean. He couldn't do this, he couldn't -

 

But Tyler's will could only hold on for so long, and five months seemed to be as long as he could hold.

 

Josh let go and Tyler was viciously tearing into the girls neck, the blood thick like the honey and peanut butter he used to put on his pancakes. It slid down his throat in generous bursts, soothing the burning sensation in his throat. He sucked until he couldn't suck anymore, and then he was looking up at Josh with wild eyes, blood and spit smeared across his chin and caked under his nails.

 

"More," he demanded, gesturing to the empty vessel, and Josh was chuckling to himself.

 

"I told you sweetheart, it's good isn't it?" Tyler nodded his head and wiped his face with the back of his hand. It only smeared blood farther up his face. Tyler probably really looked like a monster right now. "Follow me love." Then Josh was scaling the walls to the roof of the building gracefully and Tyler followed him, not really focusing on his surroundings. He felt like an animal on the prowl for its next prey.

 

They came to a different alleyway where an obvious drunk couple was laughing loudly. It echoed in Tyler's ears, causing him to wince. He was still getting used to the enhanced hearing.

 

"Now listen to every word I say," Josh started, but Tyler wasn't listening. He had caught sight of his prey and he planned on earning his prize.

 

Silent as a cat, Tyler dropped down behind the couple and matched their footsteps until he could reach their necks. One crack later and the couple fell to the muddied concrete. They hadn't even screamed. It was an easy kill, really.

 

Tyler was busy draining the man when Josh dropped down next to him with a stern look on his face. Tyler drank and drank, not even bothering to breathe. He smeared it all over his face, pupils dilated and breath wet.

 

Josh stopped him before he could get to the girl. "You have to stop Tyler."

 

"Why?" whined Tyler loudly. His teeth were still sticking out and the woman's neck looked rather inviting. He wanted nothing more than to break skin and let the honey flow down his throat. The man's blood had reeked of alcohol and now Tyler was feeling a little bit groggy, but he still wanted more. He wondered if he would ever be satisfied.

 

"One, because there's heavy amounts of alcohol in their blood which is not good for you, and two, because you're going to make yourself sick. You're full."

 

"I'm not. I'm still hungry. I want more."

 

"You're always going to want more love, but you need to limit yourself, ok?"

 

Tyler nodded with a sigh and tried to have his teeth go back up into his gums. Problem was, he didn't know how to do that.

 

Josh was staring at him intensely again, eyes flickering across the length of Tyler's body. With his messy hair and dark eyes and blood smeared face, Josh had never wanted to kiss Tyler more. He leaned over to the dead girl and bit her, drawing blood. Tyler flinched, his eyes twitching as his teeth came down even more than before. She smelled like oranges mixed in with a heavy amount of beer.

 

Josh took some of the blood in his palm and dropped to his knees next to Tyler. He pointed to his palm. "You can drink from here." Tyler obeyed immediately, tongue lapping and licking at Josh's fingers to suck away all the blood cupped in his palm. It was wonderful.

 

And then Josh was kissing Tyler in a mess of blood and clacking teeth, as he had allowed his to extend as well. It was a hot and heated kiss, wet, red mouths pressed against each other. But it was also different, because Tyler was pushing back, fighting for dominance now that he was able to do that.

 

Josh let his lips slide down to Tyler's collarbone, where he licked gently at a trail of escaping blood. Tyler shuddered and moaned under his touch, hands fumbling to find Josh's waist.

 

When Josh bit down, Tyler howled loudly, so loudly in fact that he pulled away to check if people were around. Tyler would have blushed, if he could still do that, and apologized. Josh went back to gnawing and sucking. His fingers explored Tyler's body, but they were still in the alleyway, out in public, so Josh knew he had to be careful. It was just that Josh was so turned on by Tyler with his blood stained face and fierce eyes and dominant growl that he had to do something.

 

"We've got to get somewhere private," mumbled Josh into Tyler's neck. Tyler nodded and allowed Josh to pull away. He watched as Josh took off running, but once again he was staring at the girls dead corpse, blood pounding in his ears and he just couldn't waste a full meal. He had to conserve. Besides, he could still hear Josh up ahead, he could catch up.

 

And that's how Josh came back to Tyler tensely draped over her body, attacking her neck as a mess of blood and skin swirled under his mouth. Josh was scowling, running a hand through his hair, because he knew Tyler was going to feel sick, but he really couldn't blame him. Tyler had put off eating in five months; he had to be starving. But Tyler disobeyed, and that meant he was going to have to do something about it.

 

"Tyler," he said sternly, and Tyler whipped around, guilt covering his face as he shrank right on the spot. He wiped blood on his shirt and looked down at the ground, tongue running over his jutted teeth to wipe away all traces of blood. "I told you to follow me. You can't keep eating."

 

"I know." Tyler's voice was quiet, guilt filling the spaces between his pride because he had been really hungry and he really didn't have to listen to Josh because he hated him. But it was strange. Now that Tyler had fed, Josh looked a lot more inviting. However, his speech was also jumbled because he seemed to have too many teeth and it filled his mouth uncomfortably and he couldn't figure out how to get them to contract.

 

Josh reached out for Tyler's wrist, securing a good hold. Tyler didn't even bother to fight him. "You're going to have to be punished. You have to follow the rules. We are running away, you know that right? We are running away from people much stronger than the both of us combined. We can't let them catch up, so you need to be reminded what happens when you don't listen. Do you want to die Tyler?"

 

"No sir." He cast his eyes to the ground, focusing on a stream of blood that was mixing with rainwater and mud as it swirled into the storm drain. It was true now. Tyler didn't really want to die anymore. He wanted more time, more blood.

 

"Good. We are on the same page. Now I need you to listen and follow me, understand?"

 

Tyler nodded his head. Josh smiled and leaned in to kiss Tyler gently on the corner of his mouth. He licked at the excess blood smeared across his mouth. "We'll get to a stream so you can clean up, okay?"

 

One nod later they were flying through the streets, Tyler following Josh's every move for once. He was intrigued by the way Josh moved, gracefully and all flowed together, shoulders tucked in and arms lined perfectly. Josh was perfect.

 

How could Tyler not have realized that earlier?

 

Later they found themselves wading at the banks of a shallow creek. Tyler peeled all his clothes off, taking a brief moment to stare at his marble like skin with all its smooth dips and pores. He didn't have any flaws in his personal appearance, no weird marks or scars. He was pretty much a walking statue. Or you know, the walking dead.

 

He scrubbed at his face vigorously, trying to remove every trace of blood possible. Then he submerged fully, letting the water run over his hair and shoulders. Josh watched from the bank, arms crossed and face emotionless.

 

When Tyler came back for his clothes, Josh was pushing him to the ground and stepping on his hands. Tyler looked up with wide eyes. "You've been bad, remember that?"

 

Tyler whispered, "yes sir."

 

"Go over to the tree over there. Leave your clothes." Head tucked under, Tyler quickly stood up after Josh stepped off his hands and shuffled over the tree. He looked embarrassed, and Josh couldn't help but smile. Tyler was beautiful. He looked especially beautiful glistening in the radiating moonlight, skin glowing silver and eyes dark and hidden.

 

When Josh joined Tyler, he trailed a finger down the length of his spine until he reached the crease of his ass. Then he was gripping it tightly, flipping Tyler around to kiss him harshly. Tyler moaned, taken aback by Josh's change in behaviour, but he wasn't going to protest.

 

"You're a bad boy Tyler, a bad, awful boy," Josh said in between kisses and Tyler's rather loud moans.

 

"I know, I am, I am," he sputtered back in ragged breaths, loving the feeling of Josh's hands all over his naked body.

 

Then Josh was shoving him away forcefully, taking a couple steps back to view Tyler's figure. "You don't get to eat for a couple more months. You're already going to be sick." Tyler pouted and opened his mouth to say something, but Josh raised an eyebrow and he clamped his mouth shut.

  
"Patience Tyler, patience."


	3. Bella Ragazzo

Tyler sat on a dock, his feet dangling over the edge as he peered into the water below. It was a full moon tonight, and Tyler could see his reflection well. It was strange. He had been a vampire for over a year now and this was the first time he was really getting a good look at what he looked like.

 

His hair was thick and messy and in dire need of a haircut, but he wasn't sure how he was going to get it cut. Maybe Josh could cut it for him.

 

His face seemed thinner, skin stretched over cheekbones like it could rip any second. His cheeks themselves seemed hollow and his eyes were dark crimson, just perfectly placed in a sea of porcelain silver white. His lips were light pink, one thin line when he pressed them together.

 

Weird. Everything was weird.

 

They had been running for a while now, the two of them always traveling. They slept sometimes (Josh said they didn't need much sleep, but he always let Tyler sleep for a long time) but most nights were spent running and climbing and laughing and teasing. During the day they sat out of sun's reach, talking and kissing and exploring one another.

 

Josh came and sat down next to Tyler, tucking his legs under one another to sit cross legged. He sighed loudly as he stared at the stretched out lake in front of them.

 

Tyler looked over. Josh's red hair was starting to fade, roots growing out brown. Tyler wondered when he was going to fix that.

 

He turned his attention back to the lake as Josh spoke. "How are you doing Ty?"

 

Tyler jerked back around in surprise. He had never called him Ty before. That was new. Not that he didn't like it, no, in Josh's voice it was the most beautiful thing in the entire universe.

 

"I'm good. It's just weird. All of this." He gestured to himself and started twisting his fingers in his lap.

 

"When we get to a city, we can get some new clothes. I'm going to fix my hair and then we can eat. Sound good?" Tyler nodded. Josh scooted closer so he could put an arm around Tyler's shoulders.

 

They were quiet, enjoying the moonlight on the lake, the gentle breeze and sound of crashing waves when Tyler suddenly blurted out, "Can vampires have sex?"

 

Josh looked at him like he was crazy, and then he was laughing loudly. Tyler frowned and looked back down at his hands.

 

"Of course they can Tyler, we have the same bodies as humans. Why couldn't we?"

 

Tyler shrugged. "I didn't think about it."

 

"Why do you ask? Do you want to have sex?" Tyler looked back over to see Josh with a smug grin, and he would have blushed, if, you know, he could still do that.

 

"I don't know," he mumbled, hoping Josh didn't understand him. "Maybe."

 

"Maybe?"

 

"Maybe."

 

Josh leaned back, allowing his legs to hang over the edge as he put all his weight on his hands. He breathed through his nose, eyes closed. "Do you still hate me Tyler?"

 

"No. I don't. I'm sorry for being so rude to you. You're the boss, that wasn't right."

 

"You don't need to apologize. I was selfish." Eyes open, he turned to look at Tyler. "You're so beautiful Tyler, it hurts. And I have to resist kissing you every minute of the day. Every single thing about you is incredible. Everyone who sees you would be jealous."

 

Tyler didn't say anything. He wasn't sure what he could say anyways.

 

"You're learning so quickly, and I am so proud of you more every day that passes. You're perfect. I love you."

 

"I love you too." The words were thick on Tyler's tongue. They felt foreign. Sure, Tyler had been in relationships with people, but he had been in so many of them and they had never lasted long enough for them to reach an "I love you" point. But he actually loved Josh. Josh took care of him. Josh protected him. Josh made him feel safe and secure and special.

 

It didn't take long before they were a mess of teeth and tongue, dilated eyes and wet red mouths and hot breath and moans. Josh was running his hands through Tyler's hair, then all over his skin, milky white and smooth under Tyler's shirt. Tyler was rolling over, letting Josh climb on top of him, letting him kiss and touch and explore, sighing pleasurably because this was perfect, this was beautiful, and he loved every second of it. Clothes were discarded to the side and they were still entangling limbs together, whispering "I love you, God I love you" over and over again with a string of profanities and insults and apologies. It shouldn't have worked, they shouldn't have worked, but then Josh was inside Tyler and it was magical, stars dancing behind Tyler's eyelids and hot and heated skin on skin love.

  
Perfect, they were perfect.


	4. Run

They were traveling tonight, running through the thick woods of Virginia. There was no where in particular that they were going; just traveling to get away. To avoid the people chasing them.

 

Josh had redyed his hair in a gas station bathroom, Tyler being the one to wash and rinse and scrub. It had been kind of nice, actually, just the two of them. They had gotten a change of clothes, a shower, and Tyler had finally gotten that haircut. They had a little bit of money from the people they had fed on, but not much. It was just nice to feel clean for a change.

 

It was dark of course, the moonlight barely seeping in through the thick foliage. They moved silently, not one word being shared between them. That is, until Josh heard snarling and he was whipping Tyler closely behind him.

 

_Shit._

 

How could he have been so stupid? So careless? They didn't cover up their trail at the bathroom, Josh realized. He had presented a direct path straight to them.

 

Three men stepped out of the forest, each tall with dark hair. Two were lanky, one had broad shoulders. Josh was growling back while Tyler cowered behind him. Tyler could guess who these people were.

 

"Joshua," the middle one spoke, his features flawless behind compare and dark eyes bearing stories thousands of years old. Tyler assumed this was the person who had turned Josh.

 

The leader.

 

"We've been looking all over for you. How kind of you to leave us directions."

 

"Leave me alone," Josh spat back. "I left for a reason."

 

The one with the broad shoulders flanking his left chuckled mockingly. "How cute. He thinks he can just leave."

 

"I can do whatever I want. You don't own me."

 

"Oh but I do Joshua," the middle one said sharply, eyes flickering darkly. "I turned you, so I own you. And you need to come back home."

 

Josh scoffed. "Not going to happen. You might as well leave Brendon."

 

"I don't plan on leaving until you're right by my side, walking with me." Brendon said smoothly. He glanced over at Tyler who was still shaking behind Josh. "I'm afraid you can't bring your pet along with you."

 

Josh was growling again, his grip on Tyler tightening. "Get out of here."

 

And then Brendon was laughing, loudly and sharply that sent chills throughout Tyler's body. He whimpered quietly behind Josh. "Don't tell me this is the lucky one?"

 

"But he's just a child," the tall one flanking Brendon's right finally spoke, his voice calm. His eyes were a lighter shade of red, almost orange. It was peculiar.

 

Brendon's eyes widened. "You didn't... You know you aren't supposed to do that. What if-"

 

"It doesn't matter what I did, I left for a reason. You don't get to decide what I can and cannot do."

 

"I changed you because you were dying. You changed this poor child because you were selfish."

 

Josh bared his teeth and took a step forward, challenging Brendon. Tyler moved farther back into the trees behind them. "Fuck you. You don't know my motives."

 

"Perhaps we should ask the child what he thinks of the situation?" The orange eyed one proposed, crossing his arms tightly over his chest. Everyone turned to look at Tyler and he gulped.

 

Brendon rolled his eyes but waved his hand. "Fine. What do you have to say?"

 

Tyler didn't know what to say. He didn't know what they expected him to say. "Uhm," he tried, throat burning, "I'm not really a kid, I mean, technically I turned twenty this year, so..."

 

"Not what we meant."

 

"Oh." Tyler paused and chewed on his tongue. Everyone was still staring at him. "I'm okay. I love Josh. He takes care of me."

 

The broad shouldered one scowled. "Of all creatures, a human. Really Joshua, I would have thought you better."

 

"Stop insulting him," Josh warned, his tone threatening. Tyler was sure he would attack soon with how tense he was.

 

"This is ridiculous. Look at you, filthy and tired. We have a home, plenty of food, a system. Joshua, you're coming home with us. No excuses. Let the child go." Brendon looked annoyed.

 

"Brendon, you can't let a kid wander alone. He's going to kill everything in his path." Orange eyes argued.

 

"We can't bring him into our clan Dallon. I didn't turn him."

 

"I did," Josh spoke, "and now we have our own clan. So you can leave."

 

Brendon sighed. "Okay, if you prefer to do this the hard way. Spencer? Please." He gestured towards Josh and broad shoulders, Spencer, snarled in a mess of sharp teeth and pounced on Josh. He slammed Josh into a tree, and the two were disappearing in the darkness, leaving Tyler alone with Brendon and Dallon.

 

He was terrified.

 

Brendon was behind him in seconds, breathing in through his nose and inhaling Tyler's scent. His hands ran down his arms, across his shoulders, causing Tyler to shiver. Were they going to kill him?

 

"I'm sorry," Brendon whispered, still trailing his fingertips across skin. "I'm sorry he changed you. He shouldn't have done that. He doesn't like to listen." Tyler didn't answer. He had his eyes squeezed shut. "You had so much potential, and now you're a newborn. Your eyes are so dark; how much blood have you had?"

 

"Not enough," Tyler whispered back. It was true. He was always wanting more.

 

"This is not the way to raise a child Joshua," he murmured unhappily. Tyler opened his eyes to see him pulling away. "He's ruined you already. You have no hope."

 

"I'm okay with being like this," Tyler retaliated. "I wasn't at first, but it's been a couple of years. I love Josh. We are good together."

 

Brendon shook his head sadly. "Can't you see? He's brainwashed you into thinking this works. He's much older than you. He can control you."

 

"I control myself."

 

He sighed. "You were the farm boy, weren't you? He changed you to cover up tracks, to put his claim on you. I'm sorry about your grandparents."

 

Tyler's eyes widened. "You...you killed them?"

 

Brendon only smirked. "You understand why we have to take Josh back, right? He's a danger. He doesn't listen. We need him to be with us."

 

Tyler couldn't say anything. He knew if he tried it would come out incoherent.

 

Josh was coming back then, a giant cut on the side of his face and his teeth extended in a snarl. Part of his shirt was ripped.

 

He didn't stop until his was face to face with Brendon. "I win. Game over. Leave me the fuck alone."

 

Brendon's eyes were gleaming with anger, but he didn't say anything to Josh. Only waved Dallon over.

 

"If I see you again Joshua, I won't hesitate to kill you and your pathetic excuse for a mate." Then the two were scampering away back the way Josh had came. He turned towards Tyler with a softer expression, letting his teeth contract upwards into his mouth.

 

"Are you okay baby? Did he hurt you?" He sighed with relief when Tyler shook his head.

 

Tyler let him kiss him, hug him, touch him, anything and everything. He shut his eyes.

 

"We're safe love, they aren't going to bother us anymore, okay? We're safe."

 

Tyler only nodded.

 

 


	5. Our Hometown's in the Dark

"There was a bad cholera epidemic," Josh explained as the walked down a country road. Josh hadn't told Tyler, but he was taking him to visit his family. Tyler had been this way for five years now and Josh believed he could control himself around humans.

 

They hadn't talked much about that night his old clan came back. It was a sensitive subject for both Josh and Tyler, each for their own reasons. But Josh finally felt compelled to tell Tyler his story.

 

"It had already killed one of my sisters and my brother. I was going to die next. It was inevitable. But there was this guy that was always watching me, studying me. My parents let him into the house, claiming he was a friend of mine. But I had never seen him." Josh sighed loudly as he shook his head. "He told me he could save my life, make me stronger and better than I was now. Told me we could get out of here. Told me I would be a valuable asset to his team. And of course, I didn't know what he meant by that. I thought he meant an antibiotic or something. I was gullible, and was living on the edge of a miracle. Guess you should be careful what you wish for."

 

"I'm sorry," Tyler replied quietly. He felt bad.

 

"Don't be. They were good friends. Dallon, the one with the weird eyes, he was like a father to me. Spencer never liked me. And the others, Pete, Ryan, Patrick... We weren't more than acquaintances. They won't miss me. Brendon... I don't know what it was with him. He trained me, taught me how to live the life I live, and I know I disappointed him, but things were getting too rough for me. I had to get away."

 

"Understandable." Tyler stared at the road in front of him, focusing all his attention on kicking a small pebble farther and farther down. Josh watched Tyler.

 

"I'm sorry. For turning you. I shouldn't have done that, and I feel more and more guilty every day. I was stupid, I wanted break the rules and I loved you the minute I saw you, I wanted you for god's sake, and-"

 

"Josh." Tyler interrupted, brushing Josh's cheek with his knuckle. "It's okay. I'm happy, here with you. I love you a lot. Don't think for one second that I don't."

 

Josh smiled. "You're beautiful Tyler, so goddamn beautiful." He reached for Tyler's hand and they continued walking quietly down the path.

 

"Where are we going?" Tyler asked a few minutes later.

 

"We are looking for a home. Somewhere to settle. You can choose where. But uh, first, I thought we could visit your family."

 

His eyes widened. "What?"

 

"I thought you'd want to check up on them maybe. It has been five years. I think you're ready."

 

"Oh. Okay."

 

"Hey Ty?" Tyler glanced up to see Josh smiling encouragingly. "You'll be okay." He squeezed his hand.

 

So with clear instructions to not talk to anyone, Josh left Tyler alone to let him stare through the window at his family, laughing and chatting all together at the dinner table. They were playing a card game, his mother made a pie, and Tyler felt a pit of homesickness in his stomach. He missed them so much.

 

But Josh was his family now. Tyler was happy with that.

 

His mother looked out the window and Tyler ducked down, but he was too late. She had already saw him.

 

As Tyler raced around back to climb into his bedroom, his mother raced up the stairs to her son's old room. She hadn't been in it in years; it was too much to deal with seeing Tyler's basketball trophies and his unmade bed.

 

A untouched room for someone never coming home.

 

Except when she pushed open the door, Tyler was sitting on the bed, running the quilt through his fingers, red eyes glowing in the darkness. His throat burned when she gasped and he looked up to see her.

 

"Tyler?" She was skeptical and wary, but Tyler only smiled. He couldn't believe how much she had changed in the five years he has been gone.

 

"Mom."

 

She choked, tears starting to fall as she aimed to flip on the light. Tyler hissed, throwing a hand over his head. Immediately she was apologizing and the room was once again submerged in darkness, and the two were hugging in laughter and tears.

 

"My baby's okay," she kept repeating, pressing hard on the back of his neck. Tyler wished he was okay. But he wasn't.

 

He also knew Josh was not going to be happy with this.

 

"Let me get a look at you," she whispered when they pulled away. And she looked afraid, terrified beyond belief, and Tyler had to resist the urge to jump out the window. He couldn't tell her what he was, but he hoped she could assume he wasn't human.

 

That he couldn't stay.

 

"You look so good Ty, you look..." She trailed off, another sob escaping her lips. She raised shaking hands to her face.

 

"I'm sorry mom, I'm so sorry. I really, I shouldn't be here, I know I'm scaring you, but I had to see you, and-"

 

"Don't. Don't apologize. All that matters..." She stood up straight and took a deep breath. "Are you happy Tyler?"

 

He nodded. "I am. I have someone."

 

His mother smiled. "That's good baby, that's good. Do you still like your adventure?"

 

"I'm living adventure every day."

 

"I'm so glad." She pulled him into another tight hug. "I'm so glad you're happy. And I understand, about how things are. I get it. Just thank you."

 

"I'll try and visit momma, I'll try. But I'm... I'm gonna look like this next time you see me. And after that."

 

She sniffed. "That's okay baby. As long as I can see you."

 

"You can't tell anyone I'm alive, understand?"

 

"We have a grave for you, down the road. If you want to see it." One long, deep breath. "I love you Tyler. I love you so much."

  
"I love you too mom."


	6. Epilogue

****Josh and Tyler stood at the grave that read "Tyler Joseph" at the graveyard down the street. Josh had a bouquet of flowers in his hands, 12 red roses bounded together by string. He took a deep breath.

"You ready to do this Ty?"

Tyler nodded his head. The sky was starting to get light; they didn't have much time until the sun came up. "I'm ready."

Josh handed him the flowers and Tyler placed them carefully at the foot of his gravestone.

"Tyler's officially dead," Josh said quietly. Tyler reached for his hand.

"But we just started living."

Then they took off, disappearing as the first rays of light broke through the clouds.

****

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah so now this exists.


End file.
